Kraftech Australia is a leading provider of heavy-duty robotic equipment to the steel industry. The company strives to radically improve their customer’s competitiveness by designing and developing innovative equipment. The Kraftech team is committed to engineering, supporting and servicing cutting-edge technology—including CNC machinery, plasma and oxy cutting technology, robotics, and fibre laser cutting.
An Australian success story
After graduating in mechanical engineering, Kraftech director Andrew Crawford found work in the steel industry for a multi-national welding company, where he became skilled in robotics—particularly welding and cutting robots. When the company ceased the supply and support for a particular product line, Andrew saw an opportunity to support the existing customer base in Australia.
With this singular vision, he founded Kraftech in 2011. Since then, the business has grown significantly, not only in terms of the size of the team but also the number of products and volume of local and international customers. While the company started by servicing, repairing, and supporting customers who had purchased machines from suppliers in Europe, the time difference meant the team was working around the clock to get them back up and running as quickly as possible.
“If these machines go down, it often affects the ability of an entire workshop to function. We quickly started to wonder why Australian customers were purchasing from overseas suppliers, when we could build machines that were just as good—if not better—locally,” Andrew said.
So Kraftech began designing and building machines here in Australia, with its integrated robotic systems and cutting and coping lines manufactured locally and certified according to Australian standards.
“Local service and support are the secret to our success. This goes hand-in-hand with offering machines that are equal to, or better than, what is available globally.”
The forefront of tech innovation
With a drive to stay at the forefront of technology, Kraftech introduced its key product line: the revolutionary Eagle Laser cutting machine. Andrew explained, “There has been a transition over the years from traditional processing in oxy and plasma to laser. Given our technical knowledge, we searched for the best machine on the planet, with criteria like precision and efficiency in mind. Eagle Lasers deliver this for construction and steel fabrication.”
Kraftech’s latest innovation is X-CalibreTM, a groundbreaking robotic plasma coping system designed for efficiency, precision and productivity in production. Andrew said, “We took all our experience in robotics and cutting, and all the knowledge we’d gained over the last 30 years in the industry, and built our first X-CalibreTM machine back in 2018.”
Leveraging the most advanced technologies available, such as robotics and CNC machining, has yielded impressive results for Kraftech. “Robotic cutting and welding significantly improves efficiency,” Andrew said. “CNC machines save a huge amount time in layout markings and processing. It is a very easy decision when faced with the growing cost of labour, and lack of skilled labour.”
After achieving significant growth in Australia, Andrew now has his sights set on new market opportunities abroad. “Since launching the X-CalibreTM, we’ve exhibited in Europe and in the US. We’ve recently secured a dealer in the North America market, and will soon start exporting Australian made machinery to the US.”
Harnessing the power of automation
After decades of experience in the steel industry, Andrew has witnessed first-hand the valuable role that automation can play, throughout sectors such as construction, fabrication, manufacturing, major infrastructure and mining.
While Australia was once a major manufacturer—from TVs and fridges, through to cars and dishwashers—much of that manufacturing knowledge and expertise has been lost overseas. When offshore manufacturers bypass Australian companies by selling parts directly to end users, local suppliers lose a significant volume of business.
For Andrew, automation is the key to ensuring competitiveness that will keep manufacturing within Australia. “Automation enables Australian manufacturers to be more efficient and meet—or improve—quality standards. If you can make a product here that is better quality and cost competitive when compared to offshore manufacturers, there is no reason why you can’t succeed.”
